Aamlicious festival at Khandani Rajdhani

The best part about Summers is getting an opportunity to relish the King of fruits~the mighty Mango. Mango is used in both its raw and ripe form in a wide range of food all over India. 
I look forward to relish my favourite fruit in a variety of dishes and so when I received an invite from Khandani Rajdhani to experience their Aamlicious festival, there were no second thoughts.
I have a weak heart towards the Rajasthani and Gujrati food because I have friends from these communities since my school days. A visit to their house means relishing their simple and flavourful food. 
Khandani Rajdhani, is a personal favourite . I have enjoyed their grand Thali many a times when they opened first in Kolkata. Last Durga Puja, I was pleasantly surprised to see them opening up in the heart of the city, Park street. At Khandani Rajdhani, they believe in pampering you big time. From the moment you enter their restaurant till you leave with a happy heart and a full stomach, the staff continues to charm you throughout with their smiling faces and caring nature. 
All this and more were reasons enough to make my husband babysit our daughter while I walked down to Park street to enjoy my Aamlicious day. 
I was warmly greeted by Debjita Mallick, the PR & marketing Manager, and the rest of the staff. The traditional Tika was adorned on my forehead and I was seated with a big thali with numerous little bowls.  

While me and Debjita got our seats and started talking about everything, the manager politely urged us to begin with the starters which were already served to us. The polite servers always make it a point to tell their customers the name of the dish they are serving. On my plate was an array of starters like sprout keri kanda salad, Maharaja shahi dhokla, keri samosa served with 4 different types of chutneys. The Kairi panna served alongside was perfect for the scorching afternoon. 

The most lovely part about eating at Rajdhani is that you are so well looked after. There are servers who keep an eye on your plates and keep urging you to try more, almost like a close relative who loves to feed you till you start crying full. 

My plate soon had dishes like the famous Ragda patties, Aam ki launji and dal baati churma which came loaded with a spoonful of ghee. 

The main dishes of the day were Paneer makkhanwala, flower capsicum, Aaam batata chips tindora, choula, panchkuti dal, surti dal, kadhi. All this was served with Phulka, puri, rotla adn my favourite Khuba roti. We also had khichdi and rice as options. 

The desserts of the day were  Shreekhand, Corn halwa, Malpua with rabri and Aamras. 

The Aamras that they serve is from Alphonso mangoes from Mumbai.

The entire meal was nothing short of a sheer delight. The simplicity and flavour of the dishes were so pronounced. My favourites were the khuba roti with keri tindora sabji, the ragda patties, the keri samosa, the yummy raw mango chutneys and the delicious Aamras. 

Their Aam ki launji needs a very special mention. For me it was the dish of the day. The sweet, sour, spicy flavours along with chunks of raw mango bowled me over. 

Pic courtesy : Khandani Rajdhani

The Aamlicious festival at Khandani Rajdhani is on throughout the Summers and will have a special rotational mango menu with 2-3 special dishes from raw and ripe mango. Some of the dishes on their menu will be the delicious and rare Kairi Chana Dal Dhokla, the inventive Kairi Samosa Sabzi, lip-smacking Mango Kofta Pulao, exotic Malabari Mango Kadhi and the regional delicacy Mango Pachadi, evergreen favourites like the Mango Raita, Fajeto and Aamrakhand and the Mango Jalebi for all those with a sweet tooth.

Find out more about them here. 

Happy mangoeing

Amrita

New Menu launch at Pan Asian, ITC Sonar

Celebrated as India's finest East Asian Restaurant, Pan Asian introduced an award winning repertoire of culinary traditions from Across East and South East Asia to Kolkata.

Along with Team Kolkata Food Bloggers I was immensely looking forward to the invitation to the launch of the New menu at the ITC Sonar, Pan Asian Restaurant.

The East and South-East Asian Cuisine in the offer at the Pan Asian is generally an assortment of dishes from regions of China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines. The East Asian regions also brings flavours footprints from Mongolia, Macau, Korea and Tibet etc.

The East Asian Cuisine by large is very versatile in nature and generally tends to adopt the local flavours of the countries where the cuisine has traveled to. I was particularly looking forward to get the authentic flavours of the dishes from the regions that they were derived from and the chefs who were specially flown in for this very purpose, having tremendous expertise in the same, exhibited the true art and soul of the East Asian Cuisine.

Non-Vegetarian Starters

 The Non Vegetarian starters comprised of dishes like Lemongrass Fish (Stir fried fish essenced with lemongrass), Kushikastu (deep fried crumbed chicken skewers) and Yam moo (Traditional Thai pork salad). The lemongrass fish won the hearts of everyone as it displayed a perfect blend of flavours that represented a true Cuisine of South East Asian culture. 

The deep fried chicken crumbed skewers were very delicately put together with chunks of chicken spaced with bell peppers and onion wedges and perfectly deep fried in batter to form a light yet crisp coat.

The pork salad lean, soft and succulent meat was dressed with a sublime hint of chili dressing that gave the dish a beautiful mildly spiced salad outlook with fresh vegetables. 

  

Vegetarian Starters

The vegetarian starters consisted of Chongqing crispy fried lotus stem, Yam woon sen phak (glass noodles salad with vegetables) and Chao Shao qie zi (Stir fried eggplant in Chinese barbecue sauce). 

The deep fried lotus stem was certainly a very interesting dish. Little bit more strongly spiced it is traditionally derived from a colder parts of China where the exaggerated usage of spices is generally done to combat the harsh cold climate. The glass noodle salad sure did give a very different outlook to noodles as it is generally known around the world with its very attractive glass like look with the addition of fresh vegetables and light chili dressing. The stir fried eggplant was very crisp and light in texture.

  

Sumashi (Japanese Seafood Soup) was very dramatic having sea fish, prawn and squid. The sea food ingredients and the sea food broth was served differently. The soup was asked to be mixed to the bowl having the sea food ingredients, giving it a very dramatic experience.

The Main Course spread was as elaborate as the starters. 

Non-veg main course spread

The main course non-vegetarian dish consisted of steamed prawns and glass noodles, Muxu Chicken (stir fried slices of chicken with white fungus and cucumber), black pepper pork spare ribs and Nasi Goreng which is the Malaysian version of famous rice preparation with prawn, chicken and dried shrimp paste.

The black pepper pork spare ribs was very soft and had a beautiful presentation and a subtle pepper flavour that was not over powering. 

Vegetarian Main Course Spread

The Vegetarian main course had Stir fried pokchoy,mushrooms in soybean sauce,  Asparagus and garlic glazed bell peppers and Babycorn with spicy tomato, water chestnut and onions. 

Both the asparagus and the baby corn dishes wore a wonderful presentation of thinly sliced mix of bell peppers. The mushroom in soy bean sauce was again wonderful in presentation but the soy bean sauce was a bit more intense for my liking.  

Coconut Ice Cream

The icing on the cake was the dessert which was Ice cream Kati Sod which was homemade young coconut ice cream served in shells with coconut jelly. The extremely beautiful presentation was coupled with a very natural coconut ice cream with coconut jelly.   

  
The East and South East Asian New Menu Launch at the Pan Asian ITC Sonar was indeed one of the finest dining experience in the field of their respective regional cuisines. The true authenticity represented the ethnic character of the East Asian cuisine without the dilution of the evolved spices that usually comes with the local markets. This indeed makes Pan Asian the destination to relish the best of the combined East Asian Cuisines.

Hours- On weekends, Lunch- 12:30 PM to 2:45 PM.
            Through the week - Dinner 7 PM to 11:45 PM

Vishal 

Disclaimer: The views presented above are solely the unbiased perspective of the writer. The writer was invited for the launch of the event and was not paid monetarily or otherwise.  

Swiss National Day celebration at Swissotel, Kolkata

Swissotel Kolkata Neotia Vista, celebrated Swiss National Day which falls on August 1 with a lavish inaugural dinner at Cafe Swiss and Kolkata Food Bloggers were invited to join in the fun. 

Being a weekday me and Vishal got a little late to reach there and missed on the celebrations before the dinner which included some games. Enakshi Kundu greeted us with her warm smile as always and we got ourselves seated with the rest of the gang from KFB. 

Very soon we met Pastry Chef Sanjay who has a heart as big as himself and creates the most droolworthy desserts and is super humble. He introduced us to Chef Abhiru Biswas who has flown in from Mumbai to take special sessions on chocolate and recommended his creations on the dessert counter. 

With not much knowledge about Swiss food apart from their cheese and chocolate, we were happy to discover the widespread delicacies from the region.

The Salad spread

The salad counter was loaded with fresh, creamy and cheesy dishes like Swiss Potato salad, Red Apple and Walnut salad, Carrot and raisin salad and Swiss cheese salad...just to name few. 

The vegetarian fare

The Swiss love their potatoes as much as their cheese and chocolate and it was evident with the traditional Suuri Gummeli (potatoes with sour cream) and the famous Roesti with melted cheese on top which added to the sinful experience. 

Also on the spread for vegetarians was Swiss vegetable casserole and Capuns which has steamed cabbage filled with vegetables served in a tomato based sauce. 

Non vegetarian delicacies 

The Food extravaganza had just began and we continued our journey with the beautifully cooked Prawns with Garlic flakes and olive oil and Salmon cooked with sparkling wine, fresh herb and cream sauce. 

The Spatzle and Urner Hafelichabis (spiced lamb and cabbage stew) were traditional dishes from the region and I personally loved the latter. 

more to the non veg fare

We continued to fill ourselves with dishes like Alpine Rabbit stew, Chicken Cordon Bleu (Crumbed fried chicken with ham and swiss cheese), Rippli (Swiss specialty of pork loin preparation), Suure Mocke (Sauerbraten roasted meat dish served with sour sauce)

My favourite counter-Desserts

If you are wondering how could we have any more place in our stomach, let me tell you that Swissotel's Dessert counter is a beauty in itself and is as lavish as their main course spread. And how much ever full you feel, you can never say no to their awesome range of desserts. 

I was definitely in for some treat with Strawberry Swiss rolls, Baba au Rhum, Engadine Nut cake, Swiss muesli Quark cheese torte, Mini Carrot cupcakes, Duo mousse, Raspberry milk chocolate torte, Apple strudel with vanilla sauce and many more apart from the Chocolate fondue. 

I loved the mini carrot cupcakes exuding the gentle cinnamon flavour and the Engadine nut cake bursting with walnuts. 

The hallmark of Swissotel is an awesome meal with the best of products and warm hospitality.

Do not miss the ongoing celebration which is on till August 7, 2014 and is available for Dinner buffet priced at Rs 1600/- plus taxes at Cafe Swiss from 7-11 pm

Amrita and Vishal

Kolkata launch of 'The Big Book of Treats' by Pooja Dhingra and Chai spiced Cupcakes

'Meet Pooja Dhingra. Cupcake addict. Macaron lover. Baker. And founder and owner of Mumbai's most famous patisserie, Le 15.'

These are the introduction lines on her newly launched book The Big Book of Treats. 

When I received an invitation mail on behalf of The Corner Courtyard asking me to save a date to meet the ace baker Pooja Dhingra, I immediately put a big red circle on my calendar. Pooja, all of 27 and a graduate from Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, is the new face of the baking scene in India and is known for her Macarons. She has a regular clientele which boasts of Bollywood stars, sportspeople, corporate czars and politicians. Selected by Forbes India for their 30 under-30 entrepreneurs list, she sure is an insipration to many bakers including me.

Pooja also conducts regular demonstration classes in Studio Fifteen Culinary Centre in Mumbai and was here in Kolkata for an interactive workshop teaching some recipes from her book. 

Down to earth and very encouraging, she started off the workshop by saying Baking is very easy. I could not agree more with her, being a baking enthusiast myself. I was impressed with the way she conducted the workshop with so such ease and elan. She made people come from the audience and do the basic mixing and pouring. 

We started the workshop with a basic Vanilla cupcake recipe which was frosted with Vanilla Buttercream. An immensely valuable tip I learnt from her, among many others was to always add any flavouring to the butter as it retains it very well. 

All through the workshop we were served some yummy starters from The Corner Courtyard which had some impressive names as Chicken Bites, Mushroom cupcakes etc. 

All along she kept amusing us with her lovely stories amongst which I loved the story of the chocolate chip cookie which she had come up with on a Tuesday which was a vegetarian day at her house. Her 16 year old Chocolate chip cookie was indeed very easy and impressive. I also laughed on an incident she shared about her college in Paris where she once asked the chef to tell her a particular recipe's eggless variation, to which the chef flipped and scratched his head trying to decode the protein structure of an eggless bake. Seeing them sweat and in a state of amazement, she told herself that she will simply ask her Mom. 

The star of the workshop was the third recipe Nutella Squares which Pooja confessed being the most popular recipe tried from the book. An eggless Bars recipe loaded with Nutella and hazlenuts, this one is definitely on my next make list. 

After the session got over we got our books signed by the baker herself and had pictures clicked with her. I bid byes to Sayantani and Archita who were attending the worshop and book launch with me and ran back home to turn the pages of the book. 

Aptly called the home bakers cookbook, the book has recipes from cookies, cupcakes, brownies, cakes and even Macarons. While leafing through the book, chai cupcakes caught my attention. Ever since I made the Coffee cupcakes, I have been wanting to try the chai spiced version and was happy to finally put my hands onto them. So as an ode to the ace Baker, I hereby share a Chai spiced cupcake recipe which has been modified to suit my requirements and available ingredients.

Ingredients : For 5-6 medium sized cupcakes

• 1 egg
• 50 gms butter, room temperature(I used Nutralite)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup chai/tea (made with milk without sugar)

Frosting : 

• 4 tbsp butter, room temperature(I used homemade white butter, you may use Amul or any other butter)
• 3-4 tbsp icing sugar/powdered sugar (You may adjust the quantity to your liking)
• 1 green cardamom, powdered
• 1 pinch or two of cinnamon powder
• 1 tbsp chai/tea (made with 2-3 tbsp milk and 1 tsp chai, boiled till reduced to half)

Procedure :

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius. Line Muffin tray or cupcake moulds with liners. Alternately grease and lightly flour them.  

Make the chai first. I used 1/4 cup milk and 2 tsp of chai along with little crushed ginger. Give it a boil and when it is reduced to half, remove from heat and allow to cool. 

Take butter and sugar in a bowl and cream it very well. Whisk till it gets pale and creamy. Do not cut it short, this is an important step. 

Add egg and mix.

Sift all purpose flour with baking powder and add to the butter-egg mixture. Mix with gentle hands till the flour is incorporated.

Add the cooled chai through a sieve and mix. Your batter will have a light brown colour from the chai. 

Pour the batter in the prepared cupcake liners and bake for 15-20 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

Allow to cool.

Frosting : 

Take butter and sugar in a bowl and mix well. Add cardamom and cinnamon powder. Add the prepared chai mixture through a sieve and mix gently. Refrigerate for half an hour for the buttercream to absorb all the flavours and colour from the chai. 

Fill the buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe on the cupcakes. 

Notes : 

• Use a good quality chai/tea for a richer flavour
• Infuse flavours of your choice while making tea. You may add black peppercorn, tulsi leaves etc. 
• The flavours enhance with time. The cupcakes taste better the next day.

Enjoy the chai spiced cupcakes along with your cuppa chai and a favourite book. 

I want to thank team The Corner Courtyard for yet another memorable experience at their fine dine restaurant and Boutique hotel situated at 92 B, Sarat Bose Road. You may check out my earlier experiences here and here. 

Amrita

A Brunch to remember at Durbari, Swissotel

Team KFB with Swissotel staff (Pic coutsey Anwesha Bhattacharya)

A trip to Swissotel always means great food and great hospitality. The extra cordial staff makes you comfortable right from the start and their food takes you to heaven straight away. Kolkata Food Bloggers were invited to sample the re-launch of Sunday Brunch menu at their Indian restaurant Durbari and I along with my fellow friends was awed at the spread on offer. It was literally a non-stop flow of one amazing dish after the other. 

The brunch was special in more ways with the lovely company of Enakshi Kundu, assistant marketing and communication manager who guided us through the all time favourite and loved dishes and Aashish Shaw, restaurant manager who very patiently informed us about the variety they offer and the personal changes they make to suit individual taste buds. 

Our tables were soon adorned with Papads and a beautiful array of lovely homemade chutneys. They offer apart from the usual tamarind and mint chutney, a yoghurt saffron, mango mustard and the absolute favourite burnt garlic chutney. 

Soon to follow was a non stop flow of the delectable starters and we had our fresh lime sodas ready to help us gulp down. 

First to awe us was the famous Dahi ke kebab from their kitchen. Aashish informs us that this is the only cold starter on their menu. Spiced hung curd coated with semolina and fried is truly a star dish. It did wonders to my chatpata taste buds. I really did not even want to use any chutney with it, it was so good in itself. 

Next on offer was the fusion dish that they call Naaza which is a cross between naan and pizza. Chef Aditya informs us that the base is actually a Khameeri roti which is topped with Murgh Makhani, cheese and colourful bell peppers. The smoky flavour of the Naaza screamed at us to have another portion but Enakshi warned us to have space for the delicacies in line. 

The Gondhoraj Mahi Tikka was declared a winner unanimously. Delicate chunks of Bhetki marinated with the traditional gondhoraj lime and the imported counterpart Kaffir lime lifted this dish to another level. I again did not feel the need to spoil the flavour of the fish with any chutney.  

Just about when we begged them not to serve us any more starters, we were offered another creation from their kitchen by the ever smiling chef Aditya called Murgh Balai kebab which was chicken breasts filled with oodles of onions, cheese and pomegranate. The chicken pieces were grilled to perfection but I personally found a bit too much of the onions in it. 

Remember we still had the buffet to sample and all this was just the starters. 

The buffet spread had soups, salads, starters, main dishes and desserts on offer. The starters had Zafrani Paneer tikka and Dalcha kebab in the vegetarian section and Murgh Achari Tikka and Sarson Mahi Tikka in the non-vegetarian section. The main course boasted of vegetarian dishes like their most famous Dal Durbari, Palak paneer, Diwani Handi and Aloo Dhaniawala. The non vegetarian main dishes were Ajwaini Fish curry and Methi murg. We were also served on our table Murgh Makhni Andaz and Kumbh do pyaza along with their famous Swiss cheese Naan.

The buffet spread

Most naturally I could not even sample half the dishes on the offering. My pick from the spread was the Dal Durbari, Aloo Dhaniawala, Methi murgh, Achari murgh and Sarson Mahi Tikka along with green peas pulao. And yes how can I miss the drenched-in-sin Swiss cheese Naan. You will want to go back and live just on their Dal Durbari and Swiss cheese naan. It is such a sinful combination. 

My plate

Swiss cheese Naan

Alright before you wonder the size of my appetite, we were still yet to satiate our sweet tooth. And considering all my teeth are sweet, I was waiting to dig into the dessert counter which had a mixture of modern and traditional sweets. The spread had fresh fruits, bite size pastries, Mango Rasmalai, Mihidana and Rabdi. The Mango rasmalai was exceptionally yummy and was my favourite dessert for the day. 

The dessert platter

If my experience hasn't allured you enough, go for yourself and just try out their splendid hospitality and out-of-the world food . 

Functional from Tuesday to Sunday between 1900 hrs to 2300 hrs,the restaurant is open for lunch from 12:30 hrs to 15:00 hrs on weekends as well. Mondays are closed.

The Sunday Brunch is available every Sunday and the packages start at INR 1000 plus taxes.

A Nawabi Rendezvous with Grand Master Chef Imtiaz Qureshi

Chef Imtiaz Qureshi with his team

Kolkata Food Bloggers were invited by ITC, Sonar for an oppurtunity of a life time to meet the Grand Chef Imitiaz Qureshi and sample royal masterpieces crafted by him. Chef Imtiaz Qureshi belongs to a remarkable lineage of cooks in the royal court of Awadh where Dum Pukht originated about 200 years ago! 

When the chef arrived to our tables, we were collectively in a state of awe with the deep knowledge of the cuisine that he masters in. He explained us the meaning of 'Dum Pukht' where 'Dum' means 'to breathe in' and 'Pukht' means 'to cook'. He emphasizes on the age old importance of maintaining a clean kitchen before cooking. Dum Pukht uses a round heavy-bottomed vessel where food is tightly sealed and cooked over slow fire which intensifies the flavours of the food. 

  

 

While we waited for the enchanting five course to unfold we were served fruit juices of our choice along with beautifully rolled conical Papad served with some amazing chutneys. 

Our Nawabi treat began with Kababs and the first one to amaze us was the Raan-e-huzoor (baby lamb legs cooked on dum with thick date sauce, embellished with almonds and walnuts) The meat was super tender and the date sauce gave it a unique flavour. 

The sheermal served along with the Raan-e-huzoor made a delectable meal in itself.

Next to come was Jhinga Qureshi, a dish created by the chef where Jumbo prawns stuffed with dried apricots and cheese are covered with a layer of puff pastry giving it a unique presentation. 

Our next course comprised of Qorma, Qualiya and Salan where we were served Samudri Ratan which had crabmeat koftas in a raw mango and tamarind flavoured gravy. The gravy had delicate hints of fenugreek. 

Desi Murgh Ishtew was next where country chicken is braised over slow fire with onions, yoghurt and spices. Tender, juicy and flavourful, this dish is a winner. 

Koh-e-Awadh is the chef's specialty where a special kind of lamb meat is used and is cooked in dum in its own juices and marrow, finished with saffron. 

Dal Badami is something you will have never tasted before. Here urad dal is cooked with badam and is tempered with dill leaves. The chunks of badam that come in your mouth along with the dal makes a unique combination. 

The Naans presented with the above dishes were Naa-e-Bah Khummach, Muglai Parantha and Roomali roti. 

The Biryani served was named Dudhiya Biryani which the chef told is made in olive oil and is cooked on dum with milk. The biryani truly was very light and flavourful and had tender lamb morsels.  

The Biryani was served with a garlic flavoured Bhurani Raita.

The last and always my favourite course, for Meetha we were served the famous Shahi Tukda (saffron rabdi on syrup drenched bread) and Lab-e-Mashooq which was kulfi served on a sugar lace. 

We also had the company of whiskey expert Mr Sandeep Arora who broke myths about drinking and pairing whiskey with food. He represented a famous brand of scotch whiskey called Royal Salute 21YO. 

The royal Nawabi lunch was finished with the quintessential Paan. 

Dum Pukht, ITC offers a unique dining experience where each dish on the menu comes with its own story. Truly labelled as a 'Nawabi Dawat' (Royal Feast) this experience can be savoured till the 30th June, 2014.

The signature collection is available at the Eden Pavillion from 22nd June to 30th June, 2014 for dinner (7:30 to 11:45 pm) It is part of the dinner buffet and i priced at INR 1850 plus applicable taxes per guest. 

There is also a Royal Repast at Dum Pukht (Dinner only) from 22nd June onwards priced at INR 6500 plus applicable taxes per guest. 

Happy Nawabi Indulgence

Amrita